A conventional digital camera processes, within its main body, image information obtained from an image sensing element, converts the image information into image data, and saves the image data on a recording medium. As the recording medium, detachable recording media, such as a rewritable flash memory card are often used.
A conventional digital camera of this type executes an image process in only its main body, and a large part of the image process is defined by hardware in the main body. Even if the user is not satisfied with the image performance of the camera, the hardware cannot be exchanged.
To solve this problem, there is proposed a method of implementing some of the functions of the hardware configuration by software (computer program) and after the user purchases a camera, separately updating the program into the camera (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-324430).
However, when a new hardware process or image processing method is developed and the camera cannot deal with it by only altering the program in the main body, the user has to buy a new camera.